Button-making machine



(No Model.) r

w. W. WADE. BUTTON MAKING MACHINE.

No. 362,335. Patented May 3, 1887.

3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

WITNEEEEE- N, PETERS. PhohrLilhegnpher. wmn mn. o. c.

(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2. W. W. WADE.

BUTTON MAKING MACHINE.

N PETERS. Fhu\ol.ilhaguphcr. Washington, n,c.

. Patented May 3, 1887.

No Model.) a Sheets-Sheet a;

W. W. WADE.

BUTTON MAKING MACHINE. I .No. 362,335. Patented May 3, 1887.

. parts below the bed-plate.

UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM W. WADE, OF MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

. BUTTON-MAKING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 362,335, dated May 3, 1887.

Application filed August 5, 1886. Serial No. 210,110. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. WADE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Medford, Middlesex county, Massachusetts,

have invented certain new and useful Improvecertain devices for operating the dies and regu-.

lating their movements, all as set forth hereinafter, and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. in which- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional elevation of a button-makingmachine illustrating my improvements. Fig. 2 is a plan of the bed-plate and attachments thereto. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal central section through the bed-plate and its attachments. Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the bed-plate. and parts supported thereby. Fig.5 is a perspective view'of the Figs. 6 to 9 are views illustrating the manner in which parts of a button are put together. Fig. 10 is a detail view of one of the operating-levers.

The bed-plateA is shown as oblong in form,

supported by legs '13, and supporting a standard, 0, provided with guides 2 2, in which slides a die-rod, D. Through a slot, as, in the standard 0 extends an arm, 3, projecting from the rear of the die-rod, and through this arm extends a screw-rod, 4, provided with nuts 5 5, by which it can be adjusted vertically in respect to the arm3, and a spiral spring, 6, is connected to an eye on the standard and to the lower end of the rod 4, or attachment thereto, so as to lift the rod 4 and die-rod to the limit of their upward movement.

With a die, 9, carried by the rod D, co-operate two bed-dies, E F, which are supported by a movable carriage, G. The said carriage may slide between guides,or may be otherwise guided on the bed-plate A and limited in movement, so that the bed-dies may be brought alternately beneath the die 9. As shown, the carriage G is pivoted by a pin, 10, to the bedplate, to oscillate upon said pin, and a finger, 11, on the carriage plays between set-screws 12 12,turning in studs 13 13 on the bed-plate, and serving to limit the oscillation of the caraccording to the character of the buttons to be The general form of such dies is set made. forth in Letters Patent of the United States issued to me June 1, 1880, No. 228,233. The operation of the dies in putting together the parts of one form of button is shown in Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9. In said figures w is the fabriccovering of the button; '0, the metallic flanged shell; 2, the paper wad or filling; u, the collet, with central eye for the nipple 0t canvas s.

The shell is placed in the bed-die F, with the covering-disk above the same. The said die is brought beneath the die 9, and the shell is forced onto the latter, the covering being thus folded down across the edge of the shell, as in Fig. 7. The bed-die E is then brought beneath the die 9, and the latter is brought down toward the die, as shown in Fig. 8, and the filling and collet are forced into the shell,

and the flange of the latter is bent in to hold all the parts in place together, as shown in Fig. 9. After this operation is completed the die 9 is raised and the completed button re moved. The carriage G is swung or carried back and forth by hand, the stop devices defining the position of each bed-die in respect to the die 9 with great precision.

The movements of the spindle 15 of the die E and of the die 9 are effected by the mechanism which I will now describe.

The lower end of the rod 4 is connected to the outer end of a lever, 20, pivoted to ahanger, 2], below thebed-plate, and in hangers 22 22, also below the bed-plate, turns a rock-shaft, 23, carrying a cam, I, which occupies a position directly above a friction-roller, 24, carried between ears on the lever 20. To the hanger 21 is also pivoted the rear end of a lever, 30, extending over the cam I, having a beveled lower face, 41, on the outer end, and provided with a stud, 32, which, when the beddie E is below the die 9, occupies a position directly below the stem 15. From the shaft 23 extends an arm, 33, from the lower end of which projects laterally a foot-piece, 34, so that the operator by applying his foot to the foot-piece can vibrate the shaft and its can). From the arm 33 extends a st0p-arm, 35, and an adjustable stop-bolt, 36, supported by the bed-plate, is arranged to be struck by the arm 33, and serves as a means of limiting and defining the rocking motion of the shaft.

The cam I carries at one end afriction-roller, 40, and the other end has a curved face, 42, coinciding with a circle of which the axis of the shaft 23 is the center.

\Vhen the bed-die F is below the die 9, the rocking of the shaft 23 in the direction of its arrow, Fig. 5, will bring the curved face 42 of the cam I to bear on the lever 20, which will be depressed, and thereby draw down the dierod D and die 9 until the shell 1) and covering are transferred to the die 9. The shaft 23 is then rocked in a reverse direction as the carriage G is moved to bring the bed-die E below the die 9, after which the shaft 23 is again rocked in the direction of its arrow. As the cam I is thus brought toward a vertical positionits face 42 is brought against the roller 24: of the lever 20, and its roller 40 is brought against the inclined. face of the lever 30. The lever 20 is thus depressed, moving downward the die 9, and the lever is raised, bringing its lug 32 against the stem 15 of the bed-die E, and lifting the said stem so that the button is compressed between the ascending portion of the bed-die and the descending die 9 until the filling and collct are forced into the shell and the flange of the latter is bent in to lock the parts together. The stop-arm 35 now strikes the stop-pin 36, whereby the further motion of the shaft 23 is arrested and the crushing of the button prevented.

It will be seen that as the face 42 of the cam I coincides with a circle the lever 20 is not moved after the edge of the cam passes the center of the roller 24, whereby the upper die, 9, is held stationary after being depressed, but that as the roller strikes the inclined face 41 of the lever 30 the latteris graduallylifted, while the die 9 is held in place, and that as the cam I gradually assumes a vertical position between the bearing 24 41 and greater pressure is required the leverage increases, the strains all being in a vertical line and upon opposite sides of the cam, so there is no tendency to force the shaft 23 against its bearings and unduly wear the machine and increase the labor of operating it, as would be the case if the strains were on one side of the shaft.

As the motion of the shaft is reversed the lever 30 gradually drops; but the lever 20 and die 9 are not moved until the lug 32 is free from contact with the stem 15, when the die 9 will be quickly lifted and the carriage G can be shifted to repeat the operations described. It will be seen that the beveled face 41 of the lever 30 secures a more gradual lifting of the lever 30 and a greater pressure.

In order to reduce wear and facilitate repairs, the bearing-face of the lever maybe upon a steel or hard-metal plate, 50, lying against the lower side of the lever between cars 51, and this plate may be adj ustable,to insure the lifting of the lever at the proper time. Thus the plate may have a slot, 52, through which extends a fastening-bolt, 53, the latter being loosened to move the plate longitudinally and tightened to secure the plate.

Vithout limiting myself to the precise construction and arrangement of parts shown, I clairn l. The combination, in a button-making machine, of an upper die arranged above the bed-plate, and bed-dies secured to a carriage connected to the bed-plate to be reciproeated thereon, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the bed-plate, upper die, reciprocating carriage upon the bed-plate,

bed-dies supported by said carriage, and side stops for limiting the movement ofthe carriage, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the bed-plate, standards supporting the upper die, reciprocating carriage supporting lower dies, and adjustable stops for limiting the lateral movement of the carriage, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination,with the upper die-rods sliding in guides, of a lever pivoted below the bed-plate connected to the die-rod, a spring for lifting the lever, a rock-shaft and a cam carried thereby for depressing the lever, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with the slotted bedplate and reciprocating carriage carrying beddies, of a lever pivoted below the dies, and a cam for elevating the lever into contact with the stem of the die above the lever, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination of the slotted bcd-plate, reciprocating carriage carrying bed-dies, lever pivoted below the plate provided with a stud for making contact with the stem of the die, and cam arranged below the lever, sub stantially as set forth.

7. The combination,with thebed-platc,reciprocating carriage carrying bed-dies, abraeket supporting the sliding rod, of an upper die, a lever pivoted below the bed-plate and connected-with the upper die-rod, a second lever pivoted below the bed-plate to contact with the stem of one of the bed-dies, and a shaft carrying a cam arranged between the two levers, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination, with the bed-die'actuating lever 30 and the upper die-actuating lever, 20, of an intermediate rock-shaft provided with a cam, the bearings of the levers upon the cam being in substantially a vertical line extending from the cam-shaft, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination, with the levers 20 30, of a cam arranged upon thcintcrmediate shaft, and provided with an end curve to correspond with a circle having the axis of the shaft for its center, for the purpose set forth.

10, The combination,with thecam curved at one end, of a lever, 20, with a bearing for said curved end, and a lever, 30, having an inclined face, 41, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

11. The combination, with the lever 30 and cam I, of a detachable plate, 50, adjustable on said lever and havinga beveled end, substantially as set forth.

12. The combination, with the lever 30 and cam I, of I a detachable plate, 50, having a double face, 41, secured adjustably to the lever, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

13. The combination of the rock-shaft, cam, 15

bed-dies, lever 30, and arm connected with the rock-shaft and adjustable stop 36, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two 20 subscribing witnesses. 

